The Final Frontier | Technology
and Legal Practice Seminars |
Beer Bash | Santa
Clara University School of Law
The final frontier -
the deep expanse of the seven seas. For many of us, if not all, there is an
innate desire to experience this frontier - be it seven feet away from the
Discovery channel or off the coast of Johor, Mersing. For 15 individuals, it was
the latter.
From 10 to 12 May 2002, the brave troop of 15 headed for the seas east of Malaysia. The adventure: to explore the unchartered territories of the underwater world ... ok, ok, they have been chartered before!
The desire to take up scuba diving stemmed (for all of us) from some kind of previous snorkelling experience. Our first glimpse of the underwater world left us anxious to see more and eager to stay down longer than a breath hold would allow. Our sojourn to Pulau Dayang gave us that very opportunity.
The Prelude
Just like any other course leading up to certification, the NAUI Scuba Diver
course was no exception - theory before practice! During the classroom sessions
a week before, we covered all basic aspects of scuba diving: scuba equipment,
physiology, marine environment and, last but not least, safety. After completion
of the basic theory, we proceeded to the pool for our practice sessions. All
decked out in our sexy wetsuits (they were absolutely figure-hugging - even the
imperfect bodies (author excluded) were made to look sexy), weight-belts, scuba
gear, masks and not forgetting fins, we ambled about almost 'elegantly', not
unlike penguins, doing the various underwater exercises. The pool sessions were
essentially an introduction to scuba equipment and underwater 'know-how'.
The Trek
A week later, all 15 of us huddled in anticipation on an air-conditioned coach
and set off on our adventure to explore the final frontier. We left Singapore at
around 9pm. The coach took us from Singapore to Tanjong Lehman Jetty in Johor.
Our arrival at Tanjong Lehman was met with the rich aroma of Ramli burger patties sizzling on a hot grill. It was past midnight and the sumptuous burgers were a pleasant surprise. We (or at least most of us) had been snoozing for the past three hours on the coach.
The ferry ride to the diving site was met with choppy waters peppered with rain pelting down on the ferry as it rocked from port side to starboard. Those of us with less than strong guts spilled all and more of the Ramli burgers, while praying for some semblance of equilibrium (travel hint - do not eat heavily before you travel out to sea!). The more fortunate amongst us slept like babies throughout the four to five hour ferry ride from Tanjong Lehman to Pulau Dayang. (Pulau Dayang is one of three other islands near Pulau Aur, which are located in the southern part of Peninsula Malaysia.)
Dawn had hardly cracked before we reached the jetty off Dayang Blues, the dive resort that was to house us. Sleepy-faced, we trudged along the jetty to Dayang Blues which was less than 200 m from the jetty. Even with sleep clouding our vision, there was no chance of anyone overlooking the long, white, sandy beach ahead of us. Excitement and anticipation are just a few of the words that describe what we felt at that point of time.
The Frontier
After resting for a few hours, we set off for our maiden dive at Pulau Lang. I
am told that Pulau Lang is a good dive site for novice divers as this area is
protected from strong undercurrents. As we reached the dive site, we geared up,
and one by one, each of us took a giant stride and entered the water. Soon, with
the supervision of the instructors, we made our way to the bottom of the dive
site. This was about 20 to 25 ft from the surface. During this first dive, the
objective was to get us acquainted with the sea and to test us on the various
exercises that we had previously learnt. This was simply to ensure that we were
comfortable under the sea in our scuba gear. Once the basics were covered,
that's when the fun began. In groups, we finned around the area and got an
insight into the beautiful and colourful existence underwater.
Over the two days we were at Pulau Dayang, we did four to five dives in various dive sites off Pulau Dayang and Pulau Aur. The best was saved for the last when we went to Captain's Point. There were soft corals on walls with rocky to sandy terrain at the bottom. There were corals and fishes of all colours and sizes. During our various dives, we spotted barracudas, snappers, batfish, jacks, cuttlefish, starfish, clownfish, bumphead parrotfish and even a stingray! There were many more, but to list them all would not do justice to all that we saw, for you have to experience it for yourself.
As we went for one dive after another, the passage of time was non-existent for us. It was an exciting experience for everyone. The colourful life underwater struck a chord in all of us. There was so much more to explore and see. Alas, time had run out and jobs were waiting for most of us back home. Even as we boarded the ferry to head back, one thing was certain, the 'scuba bug' had bitten us. We were going to be back for more!
For those of you with even the slightest sense of adventure and a desire to explore the vast beauty of the underwater world, scuba diving is definitely the answer! You will not regret it.
Jacintha T
In conjunction with the Law Society, legal technology consultants, Bizibody Technology Pte Ltd, presented an eight-part series of lectures on technology and legal practice to more than 65 lawyers and support staff in May this year; two-thirds of whom signed up for all eight talks.
The speakers from Bizibody comprised: (a) Serena Lim, who spearheads the legal technology products team that sources, evaluates and implements specialised software for legal practice; (b) Sylvia Low, webmaster and content director for legal portal, BIZILAW.COM; (c) Dipanker Subba, head of Internet Strategies & Research; and (d) Corinna Lim, CEO of Bizibody, and Belinda Co (who were both guest speakers and contributed papers on several topics), as well as Dexter Wee and Alex To from IBM.
In designing the seminars, the organisers recognised that the audience would comprise lawyers with little knowledge of IT as well as law office IT managers who wish to be brought up to date on advances in law office technology. The response to the challenge posed by such a varied audience was to tailor the seminars so that they offered something of interest to the 'advanced users' and IT managers, while remaining accessible to even the most techno-phobic participant.
Fondly dubbed by participants as the 'Brown Bag' seminars (it was assumed that lunch would comprise a simple sandwich in paper bags), participants were pleasantly surprised by the buffet spread catered by the Law Society. William Phua from the Law Society remarked that his greatest challenge was to provide something different for lunch at each of the eight talks. By the fourth week, we had progressed from pizza to dim sum and roti jala. William had clearly outdone himself this time.
The series began on 3 May by introducing the participants to the notion of an 'IT Investment Strategy' for their law firm, followed subsequently by talks on computer networks, security and IT maintenance. Parts VI and VII covered Internet Strategies; leading up to the final chapter on 28 May entitled 'Emerging Trends in Law Firm Technology' that included a discussion on the adoption of Web-based collaboration tools such as extranets and virtual deal rooms by international law firms.
Part V, 'Practice Management Tools for Law Firms' comprising live demonstrations of industry-leading software applications for client/matter management, automated workflows, law office accounting and billing, automated document assembly and document management, drew the largest audience (42 participants), indicating a real desire on the part of the legal community to learn more about technology to help them run their practices more efficiently.
Sylvia Low
Bizibody Technology Pte Ltd
The Social & Welfare Committee organised its first Beer Bash event on 28
June 2002.
The Beer Bash sizzled in aid of the Law Society's Welfare Fund. The call to
organise the event was mooted by Mr Anand Nalachandran, prompted by requests
from members who preferred beer to wine.
After a drunker survey of several venues, the Committee unanimously decided to opt for Brewerkz which had the space, facilities and, of course, a variety of handcrafted beers to tempt every palate.
The Committee had anticipated a turnout of about 100-150 people. Ticket sales commenced three weeks before the event. Due to overwhelming response, more tickets had to be printed. When the day of the event came, a total of 209 tickets had been snapped up, all for a worthy cause.
The evening started slowly. Most people arrived at about 8pm and were greeted with beers of their choice. Brewerkz offered a selection of seven handcrafted beers for the evening ranging from golden lager to dark beer. The crowd's favourite was of course the IPA (Indian Pale Ale). In addition, red/white wines were also available upon request.
Beer bites, such as nachos, calamari, pizza, samosas, chicken wings etc, were served throughout the evening. Members ate with one hand and drank from the other. In between bites/gulps, they had the opportunity of catching up with long-lost friends and colleagues. As the evening progressed, the noise level increased as guests were busy toasting one another.
The microphone was soon passed to Ms Helen Chia, who shared the scope and aims of the Welfare Fund. The Welfare Fund is in aid of lawyers who are in need of financial assistance due to adverse circumstances that place them in a dire situation. The contribution to the recipient and/or their respective families may not solve all their problems, but it helps relieve some stress and satisfies certain basic needs. We are proud to say that the Fund has gone on to help various parties and that they have benefited, albeit in a small way.
Whilst all this was going on, guests were invited to participate in the boat race. Very little coaxing was needed to get eight teams to sign up. Each team consisted of four members, one of whom had to be a lady. Teams competed in pairs to decide on the semi finalists/finalists.
The women participants showed that beer drinking was not the domain of the macho male as they displayed speeds that matched the boys. For sure, all of them could drink a lot faster than I. The crowd favourite, 'Singhs', was disappointedly eliminated in the semi-finals as they were fairly beaten by a better team.
The final was a close encounter that saw both teams put their final glasses down at the same time. The judges could not decide on the winner and left it to the crowd. The crowd demanded a re-match, much to the anguish of the finalists. The re-match was also deemed to be a draw and the winner was eventually decided by a showdown between their captains. A winner finally emerged - a team who called themselves 'Jennifer's Angels'.
By this time, the crowd was in good spirits and cheer. Groups were seen organising their own 'mini boat race', possibly to practice for the next boat race.
Finally, the Fish Bowl draw was conducted. Members had generously donated a total sum of S$786 into the fishbowl for the Welfare Fund of the Law Society. Prizes, mostly sponsored by Brewerkz, were given away to the lucky winners, giving them the opportunity to return for more beer and bites.
At 9.30pm, Brewerkz kindly agreed to extend the free-flow period by another 15 minutes, which brought further cheers from the heavily and happily intoxicated crowd.
My job was finally over and I got down to some serious drinking of my own. Two hours later, I noticed small groups winding down the evening with drinks they had 'stockpiled'. At midnight, I left Brewerkz, contented that the night was a success. In total, the event managed to raise a credible S$4,725 in aid of the Welfare Fund.
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'Come on girl, you can do it' - the Boat Race in full swing |
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Happy guzzlers |
See you at Beer Bash 2!
Kirpal Singh Sharma
Law Society of Singapore
The students enjoying some 'touristy' |
The months of June and July are 'peak' periods for attachments to law
firms. The Law Society also receives its annual dose of youthful
exuberance from students visiting from US universities.
The Santa Clara University School of Law Internship Programme, Singapore dimension, is now in its 18th year. The programme comprises two parts, an academic component and a one-month attachment to law firms. The students, who hail from various universities (including Santa Clara University), participate in the programme for 'exposure' and extra credits that go towards their JD (law degree). |
Out of the 32 students who attended various classes at the National University of Singapore, 14 were attached to our local law firms to experience the practice of law here. The other students served their attachments at law firms in Vietnam, Malaysia and other parts of South-East Asia. The attachment component took place from 1 to 26 July 2002.
The Law Society met up with the students on several occasions. The co-chairpersons of the Young Lawyers Committee welcomed the students at the YMCA on Sunday evening, 9 June 2002. The welcome was followed by a dinner at the Cricket Club, hosted by the University, for mentors and students on 14 June 2002 and, thereafter, two meetings were held with the students on 24 June and 15 July 2002 to facilitate their integration into our local law firms.
In addition, the Law Society hosted a 'learn-about-the Law Society' visit and organised visits to the Supreme Court and Attorney General's Chambers for the students.
We hope the students had an educational, fruitful and enjoyable internship.
Lincoln Wee
Law Society of Singapore